


The Red Hellions

by FightTheThorn



Category: DCU (Comics), Marvel
Genre: Canon Rewrite, Gen, Major Character Injury, Minor Character Death, Mother-Son Relationship, Permanent Injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-09-20 01:29:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17012967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FightTheThorn/pseuds/FightTheThorn
Summary: A short story depicting a Jason Todd background rework where instead of being taken in by Batman, he's taken in by Harley and Ivy. After his own run-in with the Joker, he commands his own team as Red X, called the Red Hellions. The team consists of Blackfire, Ten, the Dee twins, and Marvel crossover appearances of Wade Wilson (Deadpool) and Eddie Brock (Venom). And they go head-to-head with the Young Justice team. Follow the story of Jason Todd, the boy who didn't become Robin, but totally stole a Red X costume from Robin and uses it against him. Labelled mature mostly for Jason's run in with the Joker, everything else is T+





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was a commission I put a lot of time and effort into, so I really hope you appreciate it. It was a lot of fun reworking Jason's backstory and telling his tale. Critique is more than welcome. And, as always, please feel free to help me with tagging. I'm bad at it, haha.

Life should be easier.

Jason threw a tennis ball at the opposite wall, reflexively catching it. He repeated the process. He watched the ball soar back to him over and over, letting his mind linger on nothing for a little while. Thinking didn’t really help in this situation. Well… wallowing didn’t really help. He needed to think, to strategize about how to be better. 

When he thought, he thought about how his father left Jason and his mother to fend for themselves in the eye of the storm that was Gotham City. Or he’d think about how his mother overdosed on pills and died in a cold, wet alley. And Jason couldn’t save her. He might think about how he was stranded, forced to rot in Crime Alley.

His story wasn’t that much different than anyone else in Crime Alley… but it still sucked. 

A year or two of squatting in abandoned buildings, slumming it out on the streets, and stealing to get by led to Jason settling into an abandoned apartment complex with other estranged neighbors. There were quite a few people holed up in this place. Drug addicts, criminals, or people just eager to get a roof above their head. 

Jason didn’t know their names. There wasn’t much point, he figured. After all, rich and poor alike die in Crime Alley. And it’s always expectedly unexpected. The small apartment community didn’t steal from each other, and they were willing to share what they had… if they had anything to share.

He stopped the ball and let it bounce aimlessly until it stopped at his makeshift bed. 

If he wanted to eat today, he should go out and get some money. After little deliberation, he stood, grabbing his backpack and slinging it over his shoulder. 

He set up shop across the “School for Boys,” a set up for “troubled youths” as Ma Gunn claimed. Jason didn’t see much use in the lie. It was really a syndicate of its own, and the kids there were much worse than Jason. 

When the kids filed out of the building, it meant they were robbing. And that’s when Jason cleared out. 

He sat across the street on one of the house’s steps, watching as people passed. He would pick-pocket sometimes, but mostly only men and women who looked rich enough. No point in trying to rob someone poor. As he looked around, searching for his next snatch, the Batmobile pulled up in front of the School. 

As if he were possessed, Jason moved to stand without thinking twice. 

Batman stepped out of the vehicle and onto the pavement, eyes searching the streets for a long moment before heading into Fay Gunn’s “School for Boys.” 

Jason squinted at the old woman who came to the door. She gestured for him to come inside. Everyone knew she was into some sticky business. Maybe she was getting the attention of Gotham’s vigilante for once. 

And that’s when he got a good idea. Well, maybe not a good idea, but an profitable idea. Who wouldn’t pay top dollar for one of Batman’s tires? He’d be able to pawn it off easily. And they looked expensive and well-built. Top dollar!

Jason grinned, reaching into his backpack and pulled out a tire-iron. He grabbed some cinder blocks from the alley -- there were always cinder blocks in the alley -- and hurried to unscrew the nuts and bolts. One, two, three, four. He rolled them off one-by-one toward an alley away from the batmobile. 

He heard his heartbeat in his ears as he hurried to get out of sight. Adrenaline rushed through his veins as he glanced over his shoulder. The rush of the steal beating hard in his chest, breathing ragged, palms sweaty. 

Jason Todd stole Batman’s tires. 

And yet he made the foolish mistake of looking round the corner to watch as Batman walked out of the building. He stared at Batman who stood frozen in the street, gazing dumbstruck at his stripped Batmobile. 

And then he laughed. Loud, boisterous, ironic.

Jason felt a twinge in his gut. Maybe he’d gone too far.

“We saw what ya did, y’know.” Came a drawling voice behind him. 

“You’ve got stones for one so young, boy.” Came another, sultry and alluring. 

Jason spun on his heel, ready to fight. 

He froze. 

Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, two of the Gotham City Sirens, stood watching him each with a raised eyebrow. Harley stood dressed in a red, black, and white latex suit with a bat resting on her shoulder, a tote bag hanging on the end. Her other hand gripped more bags. Poison Ivy wore all green, carrying two totes of her own.

“Uh…” He backed up. What did they want from him? These two were dangerous. He just knew it. And yet he couldn’t back up, because then Batman would see them, and he’d be screwed on that front too. 

“You really want to run out there and let the Bat getcha?” Harley asked, smiling. “What if he kidnaps you away like he did with the other Robin?” 

He considered the two options. Two of the Gotham Sirens or Batman. 

It was a hard decision, but ultimately, it was better to stay. 

Ivy sauntered over, and knelt down to look at Jason. “He’s malnourished, and he’s a little dirty. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind getting cleaned up.” She smiled a little, standing up without even touching him. 

Harley grinned, gesturing with her whole arm for him to follow . “We’ll feed ya, and then if you want to go, you can go, alright? No catch or shenanigans.” She giggled at the word ‘shenanigans’ and whispered it again.

Jason mulled over the idea, unsure of how he felt about following two known criminals. He didn’t have a television, but he knew they were people he shouldn't get on the bad side of. The real problem was the Joker. Word was they’d parted ways, Harley and Joker, but the man was downright insane. Everyone stayed out of the Joker’s way.

But… he was starving. And he realised there was no way he could just return back to his hideout. Batman would find it, and the tires, and then he’d know who took them. There was no way he could go back. 

They walked down the alley, and Jason, after another moment’s hesitation, hurried along after them.

They didn’t live too far away, just a fifteen minute walk in silence. The other two didn’t need to fill the quiet as they made their way to an abandoned house. Harley skipped up the steps and to the door. She tried to open it normally, but it wouldn’t budge. She put her shoulder to the door, let out a snarl of effort, and the door popped open. “Easy.” She said over her shoulder, flashing a smile at Jason. Harley walked in, heading toward the kitchen. 

Ivy waited at the door, holding it open for Jason, as if she needed to. That door was going to be as easy to close as it was to open. “Go on.” She said, “the bathroom is down the hall, third on the left. Go wash up while we prepare lunch, hm?” 

Jason nodded slightly and followed her directions, closing the bathroom door behind him. The bathroom wasn’t anything special. The sink was missing some of the ceramic -- like it’d been hit with something --, the floor missed some tiles. He washed his hands, using a little of the soap (organic, it said on the bottle), and then dried his hands on the towel before heading back out. He tensed when he heard them talking, Ivy in a low whisper, Harley barely even trying to whisper. 

“He’s cute!” Harley said, “And he’s got some pretty big stones taking on the Batman like that. I thought everyone feared the big bad bat. Can we keep him?”

Jason scowled, not sure he appreciated being talked about like a pet. 

“Depends on what he wants, I suppose.” Ivy murmured, humming thoughtfully. “He’ll probably eat and then leave. I can’t imagine he’d feel comfortable here. We don’t even know his name just yet.”

Harley made a sad sound as she put something on the pan. “I’m making some steak for the kid. Maybe some fries to go along with it. I’m gonna use the oven.” 

Ivy hummed before taking a bite into something. 

“Y’know, ya don’t have to hide over there until I call ya.” Harley called. “If ya wanna explore the house you can. Promise we’re not plannin’ to cook ya.” 

Jason gulped and then looked around. There was a set of stairs behind him leading to the second floor, and a few rooms he could take a look at. He saw another set of stairs when they first came in, leading down into the basement. He mulled over the idea of looking for exits, but he really didn’t think he needed to. He eventually made his way back to the kitchen, and saw Harley with a “kiss the cook” apron moving the steak around on a pan, while Ivy sat with her elbow on the kitchen island, biting into a peach. Jason made his way over and put his back against the exposed beam in the kitchen. “Uh… so you two live here together?”

Ivy smiled looking over at Harley. “Yes, we decided to lay low for a little while. Cut back on the eco-terrorism -” she said.

“- and the crime spree.” Harley added, flipping the steak over. “And just enjoy some time here.”

He looked from one to the other. “So, you’re just hanging out in this dreary place?” 

They both shrugged simultaneously. “It’s not like we have any current plans.”

“Done!” Harley said, forking the steak and putting it on a plate before putting on a big multi-coloured mitten and pulled the fries from the oven. She took a good portion of them and shifted them on the plate before she put the plate down on the island closest to Jason. 

Jason eyed both women carefully, trying to gauge their motive. They brought a kid into their home, and they were planning on “feeding” him. And if the stories he heard about Poison Ivy, or Pamela Isley, were right, she couldn’t care less about human beings, but somehow Harley made it into the folds of her friendship. 

And Jason learned not to trust adults. If nothing else, that’s what you learn on Crime Alley. 

But if they really wanted to kill him, they would’ve done it already. And that steak smelled so good. And Jason was so hungry. So starved for a good meal. His mouth watered when he saw the steak sitting there in front of him. His stomach growled as he gulped down saliva. 

And the next thing he knew, he was sitting at the island table cutting into the steak and taking a delicious bite. Before he knew it, his plate was empty. And Harley was pouring the rest of the fries onto his plate. 

“You’re really hungry, huh?” Harley said a little sadly, but with a smile, like she was a little pleased with herself. “Y’know, I ain’t really one to let a kid starve if I can help it. So…” She hesitated a little, looking at Ivy for support. “We’ve got the whole basement open. You can take it over, have a place to call home, anyway.” 

Ivy nodded thoughtfully, finishing off her peach. She put the pit down on the table and watched Jason for a minute. “We stay on the second floor, so you can come and go as you please. We’ll feed you, and, who knows, maybe we’ll end up being close.” 

Jason, less hungry, took a fry and mulled the idea over. He still wasn’t sure about it, but that sounded like a cushy deal. “Jason Todd.” He said finally, looking at Ivy and Harley in turn. “That’s my name.”

“Nice to meet cha!” Harley said, grinning. 

Ivy nodded with a small smile of her own. 

And it was better after that.


	2. Chapter 2

It was inevitable the Joker would hear about Harley’s new kid. And when he did, he went ballistic. When Harley cut ties with him for Poison Ivy, it was a blow to his ego. It wasn’t like he cared about Harley, but dammit if she was going to have a good time without him. And now that she had Jason, it was like she was building her own little family. He couldn’t have that.

It was a simple snatch and grab. He drove up in an ice cream truck, threw a net over Jason, and hauled him off to a warehouse in the center of Gotham City. Usually, he’d take this kind of thing out of town since the Big Bad Batman lurked about, but word on the streets was Batman hadn’t been patrolling for a few days. However reliable that information was. 

But when it all came down to it, the Joker had Jason tied up and not even whimpering. Like wasn’t scared of the Joker. Well… he wasn’t yet. But he would learn soon. Everyone fears the Joker. 

The Joker giggled, finding the whole situation very funny. “Well, how about we play a game? It’s called ‘how long can you hold out before your lung collapses!’” He raised his crowbar and brought it down on the kid. Again and again and again and again. He heard a delightful crunch as he made contact with bone. His lips pulled into his unnatural grin as he broke a rib, and then another. His laughter echoed off the walls, overpowering the kid’s grunts. And then he started going nuts. No rhyme, no reason. Just hitting Jason anywhere and everywhere. 

“Come on, kid! Can’t you take a joke?” The Joker screamed, laughing maniacally. 

Jason spit out blood, coughing hard. He pulled his legs closer to him, trying to be as small as possible. He looked up at the Joker, glaring at him. He almost managed a snarl, but it was cut off with another fit of deep, harsh coughs. 

“No!” Harley screamed from the doorway, rushing in and grabbing the Joker’s arm, pulling him back. “Stop it, please! Don’t hurt him anymore!” He threw her off him, maniacal laughter sending him in a tizzy. Harley hit the ground, tears falling down her face. “Please! D-don’t!” 

Jason spit out blood on the Joker’s shoe. “Don’t beg... this monster... for anything.” He didn’t wince as the Joker raised the crowbar up for another hit.

Harley’s eyes widened as the Joker brought the crowbar down on Jason again. Her whole body visibly shook, there was a ringing in her ears like she couldn’t comprehend Jason’s grunts of pain or the Joker’s laughter. She slowly moved to stand. She searched around the room for something, anything that could help. Her hands searched blindly in some nearby debris until they found something heavy and hard. Harley stumbled forward, raising the weapon above her head, and brought the blade of an axe into the Joker's brain.

It seemed like nothing happened.

The Joker’s laughter rang in Harley and Jason’s ears for what felt like ages. And then the madman’s hands slowly fell. The crowbar clattered to the floor. His face, twisted in the middle of a laugh, stayed as he fell to his knees. And finally, fell forward onto Jason’s broken legs. 

Jason cried out from the sudden weight, squirming to get out from under him. 

Harley stood completely in shock, her hands shaking. But then, through the white, she heard Jason, calling out for her as he tried to squirm his way out from under the Joker, the dead corpse’s head staring at him with dead eyes and a bloody grin. She hurried to push him off Jason, so worried she was barely coherent as she tried to ask him if he was okay, eventually just repeating “Oh, God. Oh, God.” 

Jason managed a smile, which did nothing to help her calm down as his teeth were red with blood. 

Harley untied him and then looked around for answers. “What do I do… what do I do…? Hospital… hospital.” She swallowed hard, lifting Jason up as carefully as she could. She held him like he was precious, like he was glass. Like anything else she did might be the end.

She didn’t know how they got there, but one second she was running and the next she was in the ER. The nurses took Jason from Harley and put him on a gurney, rushing him to emergency surgery. 

Harley sat outside the door for hours until Ivy showed up and carefully took her friend into her arms. She cradled Harley until she calmed down some and then they both waited.

“Harley…” Harley and Ivy jumped. Ivy protectively wrapped her arms around Harley as they turned to see Batman standing nearby. “I saw him.”

Her tears began to well up again. And for the first time that night, she realised there was blood on her hands. There was blood all over her. Which was Jason’s… which was… which was…

“You can’t take her from here.” Ivy said.

“I need to know what happened.” Batman said. 

Harley nodded, and she told him. She told him with multiple stops and tears, but she told him. 

“I didn’t do it for me, Bats…” she said. “I did it for the kid. I did it for… for him.”

He nodded. 

They stood for a while, until Jason was brought out of surgery. The doctor said the surgery was successful, but they’d need to do more of them. Physical therapy. Emotional therapy. Everything. Batman allowed Harley to stay at Jason’s bedside. He’d be back later. 

Harley fell asleep at some point that first night, and Jason woke for brief periods of time. 

“You’re a brave kid.” Pamela said, gently taking his hand. “She was worried about you.”

Jason stared at Harley’s sleeping form. “I was worried about her.”


	3. New Job

Jason grunted as he plopped into the love seat, draping his legs over the arm. It took effort to relax his limbs, since he had to stay tense just to walk around sometimes. He removed the skull mask with minimal effort and let it fall to the ground beside the chair. His short black hair stood up at attention, ruffled by the mask. With little interest in actually fixing it, Jason flattened the hair with one motion and then let it be. “What a pain.” He rubbed at his stomach, and tried to ignore how body still ached a little from time to time, despite it having been a few years since his incident with the Joker. Broken bones didn't heal all that well, and his scars hadn't faded either. It didn’t help that he’d managed to find himself a group of friends that encouraged his old behaviours. 

Of course, things were better since the Joker's demise. Well… kinda. A lot of people kept vying for the nut-job vacancy the Joker’s death left in Gotham, but the old Bat and his crew grew to meet the demand and had more or less control of it. 

Of course, Ivy and Harley made their way to Arkham Asylum from time to time -- Ivy said she couldn’t stand by the destruction sometimes. The plants spoke to her, which made it hard to ignore situations on occasion. One second they were at the supermarket, and the next they passed by a carcass shop (or in English: a flower shop), and she’d flip. Who could blame her though?

When that happened, Harley would stay around to take care of Jason and vise-versa. They tried not to commit too many criminal acts together or separately if it meant leaving the house alone -- and Jason alone. 

It was stuff like that... it had Jason really thinking he'd found home. And he'd never questioned it since. 

“Did you see their faces?” Blackfire cackled, floating down onto the other long couch, spreading herself out. “Priceless.” 

Jason closed his eyes and let his head loll on the arm of the chair. Having his friends around him was comforting, and more importantly, distracting from his old wounds.

Wade Wilson, code name Deadpool, popped a squat on the rug, playing with his toy unicorn. He was nuts, but a good kind of nuts. Jason’s kinda nuts. He's the teen most people are afraid of, y’know… since he carries around real guns. Harley seemed uncomfortable when she first met him, and made Jason promise he'd talk to Deadpool about trading out his real bullets to rubber instead. If only for the safety of the team, if not for… other reasons. And, after some convincing, Wade switched over. Not like they needed him to get arrested. Especially since the last thing his mothers needed was to bail out one of his friends. 

Melanie Walker -- code name Ten -- and Delia Dennis and Deidre Dennis -- simply called the Dee Dee twins -- spoke quietly together, murmuring about some necklaces they lifted from the store and trying them on one-by-one in front of the mirror. The complemented each other regardless of how ugly any of the necklaces were.

Eddie Brock and his symbiote, code name Venom, stood in the corner of the room, Eddie drinking something out of a plastic cup. “Those idiots thought they could stop us.” Venom said, fluidly floating just to the right of Eddie’s head.

“Nearly did.” Jason said, shifting slowly to sit up. “We should be more careful about how we fight them. They’re just improving the more we interact. Aqualad’s a good leader. We’re kinda… rag-tag.” 

“So?” the twins said together, coming over to sit on either side of Jason’s chair arm. “I kinda like what we’ve got going." Dee said on the right. "Just a bunch of people together. Havin’ fun,” Dee said on the left. Even after hanging out with them for a year now, Jason still had no idea who was who unless he really focused.

Blackfire shrugged, looking up at the ceiling. “Beats what I usually do.” She smiled, sitting up as well. “You’ve always got the most interesting ideas for chaos.” 

Wade chuckled, pretending his unicorn was galloping. “Playing with those Young Justicers is pretty fun." He made horse noises, whinnying and clip-clopping.

"Jay?" Ivy's voice called down into the basement. "I just picked a whole basket of fruit, if you'd like to share some with your friends." And before she could finish, Harley's voice came down. "And I've got steaks!" 

A few of the kids perked up at the sound of food. After a day of fighting, everyone in his team was famished.

"Thanks! Up in a sec!" Jason called, moving to stand and grunting a little from the effort. Pins and needles ran up and down his legs and feet, and he felt a little light headed. Ten walked over to him and offered an arm subtly to help him up the stairs. He smiled a little and shook his head. It was easier when he was already up and moving. It’s sitting that really kills. 

She smiled back at him and started up the stairs, where Wade bounded up the stairs with Venom, Blackfire, and Dee Dee not far behind. 

Jason looked around the empty room for a second. He didn’t spend a lot of time alone anymore, and he thought he’d miss quiet contemplation. He didn’t. 

He moved to the stairs, grabbing the handrail. His communicator rang. Jason scowled. Anyone who would send him a message just dashed up the stairs, and they’d be too preoccupied by food to bother. Jason pulled the communicator out and stared at it. He didn’t know who managed to get on his frequency. Resigning himself to answer the call, he made his way back to the chair and put the mask back over his head before flipping it open. 

When he saw the silhouette of a figure, he decided he made the right choice. They were keeping their identity a secret, so he should too. 

Strangers on the internet are a danger, after all.

"Red X?" The voice asked. It was garbled and obviously fake. They were using a voice changer to disguise their identity further. "We have a proposition for you, if you're willing to hear it." 

"Sorry, I don't work with creepy shadows. Goes against what my mother told me. I'm sure you understand." Jason was about to hang up on them like they were a crank call, but he wanted to know how they got his frequency, how they knew his name. It wouldn’t hurt any to listen to the proposition. After all... if it could be fun or lucrative, maybe it was worth the risk. 

The voice laughed, the shadow's shoulders visibly shaking. "Yes, you're a smart boy. But what if you were to get paid for... I don't know... distracting the Young Justice team?" 

Jason paused for a moment, considering the offer. It's not like he was asking for anything that Jason wasn't already going to do. And he'd get money for it. "How much?”

“Don’t worry about the number. I’ll make it worth the effort, I promise you.”

Again, Jason paused, considering it. “ _If_ I accepted, there are a few things I'd need from you." 

"And what's that?"

"A face -- I don’t accept money from disembodied voices, why you want us to distract the Justice crew, and money upfront."

There was silence for a long moment before the silhouette vanished. Jason almost assumed the voice decided to end the conversation, but the screen blinked back into life and Lex Luthor sat smiling at him with his fingers intertwined in front of him, looking amused. "Alright, Red X. My name is Lex Luthor. And I don’t need to know who you are, that doesn’t concern me. I simply saw how you played with the Young Justice and decided to offer you a job. As for specifics, I would like to ask you to distract 'Young Justice' for an hour. Their whole team, if you don't mind. I have some plans I need to set in motion without them interfering. It'll be hard enough with the Justice League poking their noses in. The less I have to deal with, the better. I would wire you the payment, but I severely doubt any on your team has a bank account."

Jason scowled, thankfully his expression was hidden behind his mask. Lex Luthor? Superman's prime villain? Not that their feud had anything to do with Jason, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to involve himself in the events of those much _much_ bigger than him. This guy was a crime boss of a completely different sort. A high-society scumbag. But he knew the man could put forward the money. Money he could use to help fix up the house, or bail his mothers out, or... 

"I'll consider it."

Luthor laughed again. "I will give you 24 hours to decide. If you don't get back to me within that time, the deal is off the table."

Jason nodded and closed the communicator. He took off his mask and glared at the wall as he thought. 

Luther wanted his team to mess with the others? ...hell, why not? They were going to do it anyway. Why not get paid for it, win or lose?


	4. Chapter 4

It all started with a robbery.

Luther told them he’d bail them out if they got caught. Assuming, of course, they distracted the Young Justice team long enough. It wasn’t going to be too difficult. There were six of them (if you counted the twins as one), and they could easily misdirect the do-gooders. 

Jason knew they needed to be thorough. If any of their opponents caught wind of their trick, they could send a message to the Justice League. _And_ he didn’t want any information coming to them either, in case Lex’s other plans fell through. He had to create a little bubble of interference around the city. Jason set up some pretty ingenious jamming signals with Blackstar and Venom’s help. They subtly placed jamming towers hidden behind large billboard signs and on top of roofs. 

Instead of setting it up so the message would never get out -- creating all that troubling static -- it would instead send the messages to multiple different lines, so they would never be tied up with multiple people trying to talk all at once.

All this misdirection had to last until Luther gave the signal. 

And on Jason’s side, the Red Hellions had communication devices working in-between the jamming signal.

“You all know the plan, right?” Red X whispered into the communicator, snatching up a couple handfuls of money bags and jumping off the counter. 

Everyone nodded. 

They wore devious smiles. 

Red X snickered as he dashed forward, kicking open the double doors. 

Blackstar grabbed him under his arms and pulled him up into the air while the rest of his crew all ran in different directions. She let him down on a nearby building, grinning as she took one of Red X’s money bags and flew off on her own. 

Red X smiled, running along the buildings, jumping from one to the next, or climbing up fire escapes. He could get away relatively easily, something he attributed to his days on the street. He didn’t have to push himself to be faster, just smarter. 

He whooped and shouted as he ran, laughing. 

And then one of Robin’s bat toys -- a grappling hook -- wrapped around Red X’s feet and sent him tumbling forward. But Red X caught himself and spun to the right, snapping the wire with his knife. He stood quickly, grunting as an ache shot up his spine. “Well, well. If it isn’t Robin.” 

Robin landed softly on the top of the roof, swinging his long pole around him. “You won’t get away this time, Red X. You or the other Hellions. My best people are taking them down as we speak.” 

“That doesn’t sound right.” Red X teased, waving a hand dismissively in the air. Robin tried to circle around him, but Red X kept to Robin’s pace. “You sure?” 

The radio in his ear popped. 

“We’ve got Speedy.” The Dee Sisters said.  
“Superboy.” Blackfire said.  
“Got Kiddie Flash!” Wade said happily.  
“Aqualad.” Venom said.  
“I’ve got Artemis.” Ten said.

He touched his skull mask slightly, pressing a button to mute himself to Robin. “And I’ve got Robin.” 

And then he clicked it back on, chuckling. “So you’ve got all of us cornered, huh?” Thankfully, Luther told them they wouldn’t have to worry about Miss Martian. She’d come down with a rather rare case of some martian disease. They took her off world for a little while. Which meant, in a few seconds, Robin wouldn’t have any communication with his playmates.

“You can’t just steal someone’s identity and think it won’t come back to haunt you.” Robin said. “I made Red X, and it was a mistake. I’ll take you out, figure out who you are, and take back my costume.”

Red X shivered overdramatically. “Ooo, I’m _really_ scared. Are you sure you’re up for it?” He pulled smoke pellets from his utility belt and tossed them. Robin leapt out of the way as they opened. In the smoke, he sent the signal to interrupt Robin’s communications. He laughed loudly, letting Robin follow after him, as he jumped down onto a lower building, rolling to keep moving. 

As he ran, he latched the money bag on a hook connected to his belt. 

He heard Blackfire’s energy balls landing some nice hits on the easily angered Superboy. As he neared he heard her taunting Superboy about his missing girlfriend. “So where is she? Did she go back home and leave the poor baby clone all alone?”

Superboy snarled, shouting out as he jumped from the street below and right at Blackfire. 

She easily moved out of the way, landing a nice ball of energy at her attacker’s back. 

Superboy shouted as he fell, tumbling to the ground and digging his hand into the cement to slow himself. 

Red X was about to say something when he heard the whizzing of a batarang behind him. He dodged it, making sure to dodge it the second time it came back around before grinning at Robin, who’d caught up to him. “You’re moving a bit sluggish today. You alright?” Without waiting for a reply, he dashed down the fire escape, climbing off the side to jump down a rung at a time before safely jumping to the side-alley. He could hear Robin in pursuit, but decided it was best to keep running. 

He passed Ten and Artemis, tossing a well-timed X-blade shuriken in the way of one of Artemis’ arrows. “Be more careful!” He shouted at Ten as she saluted him for his help. 

And just as he ducked into another alley, Robin came down from above him and landed a blow on Jason’s shoulder. 

He grunted, pushing back and drawing his X-wrist blade for his right hand. He put his hand over where Robin hit him. “Man, and I hadn’t even hurt you yet. I thought you were supposed to be the hero.” 

“And I thought you weren’t supposed to be the villain.” Robin retorted, his eyebrows furrowing. “You’ve helped me and the other Young Justice members before, why are you fighting with us now?”

“Sorry, Rob. We trade the costume every weekend. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He chuckled. 

“No, you’re definitely the one-and-only.”

“Did you forget I stole some money from the bank? I need the funds, obviously. And you’re all do-gooders trying to get in the way. I think it’s pretty cut and dry here, Rob.” He brandished his blade and rushed forward, swiping at his adversary. 

Robin blocked it with his pole and dashed around him, spinning around to land another blow on Red X’s back. But Red X was expecting that and tossed smoke pellets in Robin’s face. Then he sheathed his blade, grabbed Robin’s arm with two hands, and tossed him over his shoulder and hard onto the ground. 

Robin grunted as his back hit hard pavement. 

Red X let go of his arm. He stepped back a few paces, not too eager to keep a close distance to Robin. He turned the mute back on and contacted his cohorts. “I brought down Robin. How’s everyone else?” 

“I could use a little help!” Wade shouted. “Kiddie Flash is hard to pin down.”  
“I’m clear,” Venom said, “I’ll head over to help out DP.”  
“Awe, I’m touched!” Wade cooed.  
“Keep the flirting to a minimum while we’re in the middle of this.” Red X scolded, but he heard Venom exhale into the mic, as if he were going to argue, but decided against it.  
“I think Superboy will be sleeping for a little while,” Blackfire chimed in.  
“Artemis is still on my tail,” Ten said, “mind making your way over here, BF?”  
“On my way.”  
“Dee?” Red X asked.  
“We’re almost… done… here…” Dee grunted. “There! We’re good! Need us to go anywhere?”  
“No, but grab him and tie him up. I’ll do the same with Rob. Then we’ll have something to buy us more time if they need it.”  
“You got it!”

********

Venom and Blackfire carried Robin and Speedy as they rushed through the city. Red X and the others made it a point to knock over trash cans, knock people over as they rushed past, and generally wreak havoc on the ground. Wade needed to be shied away from shooting off his handgun and was convinced to carry around a children’s nerf gun instead. He shot quite a few unsuspecting victims right between the eyes, cackling as he reloaded the gun with what seemed like an unlimited supply. Red X didn’t even know where he kept it all. And… for the sake of his sanity and Wade’s victims, it was probably best not to.

They assumed the heroes would be on them quickly, so Red X set up a meeting place before they started. There was an old warehouse building near the edge of town. And it wouldn’t take too long for the do-gooding Young Justice to find them. Not with the trail of destruction in their wake. 

They quickly filed into the warehouse as Red X gave instructions. “BF. Eddie. Help me out with the hostages. Dee and Ten, you two barricade the door. Wade, you’ve got watch duty. Tell me when they’re getting close. If we wanna get out of here without going to jail, we’ll need all the time we can to escape once we get the green light.” His team quickly broke into groups and set off. Blackfire and Eddie helped Red X hang Robin and Speedy by their wrists on hooks from the rafters. 

Red X paused as he removed Robin’s utility belt, pocketing it for later. “Sorry, Rob. I could use some new equipment. And I could figure it out myself, but why not take a shortcut?” He nudged him in the chest. “I’m sure you don’t mind.”

The Dee sisters came up with Ten close behind. “We’re done.”

“They’re coming!” Wade shouted, jumping from the top rafter to land flat faced on the floor. 

“Everyone get ready!” Jason shouted. 

The door burst open easily, Dee and Ten’s efforts to board up the door easily destroyed as splinters of impromptu wooden boards flew like shrapnel. 

Superboy led the charge running into the warehouse with the his other friends following close behind.

“I thought you said,” Dee said. “He’d be sleeping for a while!” Dee finished. 

The heroes stopped in their tracks when they saw Blackfire’s glowing hands barely an inch from Speedy’s face. The two hostages were still knocked out and unable to defend themselves. 

Red X laughed loudly, juggling one of his knives with one hand. “You caught up with us pretty fast, Aqualad. But let’s summarize what’s going on here for you, just in case you don’t have it all figured out yet. We’ve got two of your guys, and we’ll hurt them -- maybe badly -- if you don’t back off. Try anything funny like sending Flash Kid at us, and we’ll have some problems on our hands. We all know he’s not as fast as the real thing, anyway.” 

Aqualad’s eyes took in the scene, keeping his calm face clear of emotion. “Give us Robin and Speedy. They’re no use to you in the grand scheme of things.” 

“I think us getting out of here with our loot scott free is a pretty fair use.” Red X took a fist full of Robin’s hair and forced his head back, still juggling the knife threateningly. “It’s not really up to us what happens next. We’re prepared for whatever you’d like.” 

And then Red X noticed someone was missing. 

Artemis wasn’t in the initial group. 

His eyes scanned the rafters and the windows. He pulled away from Robin, putting the knife in its sheath and pulled out a few Red X shuriken. Arrows burst through the window and sent the Red Hellions scattering. He threw his shuriken at them, and they exploded in the air in puffs of black smoke. 

Eddie’s symbiote moved to cover Ten and the Dee sisters. 

But Red X missed two arrows, his own shuriken embedded in the ceiling. The arrows landed at his feet and sent a shockwave through the metallic stand. His shuriken exploded above them and brought chunks of the ceiling coming down on top of Artemis who was jumping through the window she created. 

Red X pulled Robin from the hook, taking him by the waist and jumping from the metal stand and to the ground below. He let out a shout of pain as he landed with the combination of Robin’s weight. His leg bracers were enough to keep him on his fee, but not alleviate all of the pain. 

He heard Wade shouting and his toy gun going off raptly, and Ten shouted somewhere above him, still making her way down. Red X stopped in the smoke, searching around blindly for his friends. 

“Why’d you protect me?” 

Red X dropped Robin in surprise. “What’re you talking about?”

“You’re always saving me and helping me. Always playing two sides. Artemis’ arrow would’ve hit me if you hadn’t used the shuriken. You cut me down and pulled me to safety.” 

“Look, Rob. You’re thinking too much about all this.” Red X looked through the foggy smoke and saw Robin stand, hands still bound in front of him. 

“What’s all this about? Maybe we can help?” 

“You can help,” Red X shouted, “by ducking!” 

And Robin did the moment he heard Superboy whizzing through the air toward them and then into the wall. 

Blackfire’s victory laugh was clear through the quickly fading smoke, and Red X left Robin to make his way over to her. She almost attacked him with a bolt when he popped out of the smoke. “Damn, Red. I almost killed you.” 

He laughed, taking her wrist and pulling her closer. “I need you to make sure Ten is okay, I heard her shout earlier. I’ll try to find the twins. Wade and Ven can take care of themselves.” 

She nodded seriously before cackling as she flew up into the air and out of sight. 

He crouched as he waded through the smoke, eyes searching. The twins, he recalled, jumped and rolled down below. They probably took shelter by the large crates below the metal walkway above… unless one of the Young Justice crew decided to spook them from their hiding place. He listened carefully to the shouts. 

He paused, hearing footsteps approach. 

“Fan out!” Aqualad said in a hushed whisper, “If we can manage to secure even one of them, we’ll be able to figure out what this whole debacle is about. Even better if it’s Red X.”

Red X heard a murmur of agreement from… he guessed two others. He waited patiently as the other two footsteps travelled away before jumping out. A well-aimed pellet hit Aqualad in the face and caused him to go down, clutching his face. That one was a slime pellet. He’d take some time pulling that off his face. Red X laughed purposefully loudly as he rushed off into the now light fog, away from the other two. 

It took seconds for him to arrive where he hoped the twins were, but they weren’t there. 

Red X hunkered down and turned on his mic. “Alright, everyone. Roll call. Who’s out safe?”  
“I’ve got the twins, couldn’t find Ten.” Blackfire said. “We snuck out through the window.”  
“Wade here!” He chirped in. “Ven is beating down Kiddie, and we’re heading out now.”  
“I wouldn’t stick around much longer, Jay.” Venom added. “That smoke is going to be gone soon, and then you’ll be trapped in a warehouse with the whole team.”  
“I know, I know.” Jason said. “I’ll find Ten.” He paused, looking down at his arm. A green light blinked subtly on his wrist band. “Luther just sent me the all-clear. Get out of here.”  
“Let me know if you need help.” Blackfire said, a hint of concern in her voice. “I’ll drop the twins off and head back.”  
“Just don’t get caught.” Red X said softly. “I’ll meet you soon.”

He clicked off the com and snuck around the warehouse. Just as Venom said, the smoke was almost gone, which left Red X with a timer. And he was already in the danger zone. 

He crouched behind cover, listening intently for any sound of Ten or foe. It wasn’t hard to hear Superboy with all his grunting and snarling, like a rabid animal that one. He obviously wasn’t pleased Blackfire pushed him around so easily. 

If the plan hadn’t been thought out so thoroughly, and his team’s ability to improv in the situation so well, they probably would’ve been captured at the start. 

But Red X was nothing if not a tactician. 

“I found one!” Artemis called. “It’s that girl in the card suit clothes.” 

Red X’s heart stopped, and he immediately tensed. “Oh… fuck.” Without delay, Red X hurried toward where Artemis’ voice came from. 

“I wish you hadn’t made it so damn hard to see in here. They all got away.” Superboy grunted. 

“Not all of them.” Robin said. He’d freed himself from his bonds during the confusion. Speedy stood next to him, free as well. “There’re not going to just leave their teammate behind.”

6

“I think you overestimate Red X.” Aqualad said. “There is no honor amongst _thieves_.” Man… Red X must’ve really got under his skin if he was this upset about everything. His face was stained with black slime too, so it probably did nothing for his ego.

Red X smiled, climbing up some boxes nearby. Looking intently around for anything that might help him rescue Ten and get out of there. 

And his plans were completely dashed when he heard the tell-tale sound of Blackfire’s bolts outside, followed by Wade’s laughter, and the twin’s giggling. 

He rolled his eyes and facepalmed. 

They came back.

“Go, I’ll stick with her. Red X is still around somewhere.” Robin said, gesturing to the door.

The heroes ran out of the warehouse to meet the Red Hellions, but Aqualad lingered, eyes searching the warehouse cautiously. He shared a look with Robin before following his friends out. 

Robin waited a moment before turning around and looking right up where Red X was perched. He gestured for him to come closer with a finger. 

Red X’s eyes narrowed. He half considered just keeping the conversation to shouting, but… something told him Aqualad would return the moment he heard Red X’s voice. So he hopped down and slowly made his way down. “What?” He asked, hand at the ready to grab his weapon. 

Robin didn’t say anything. He simply gestured to Ten and then slowly backed away. 

Red X didn’t move. “What’re you playing at?”

Robin shook his head. “I’m not playing at anything. She’s part of your team, isn’t she?” 

“...right?” He was confused. “That’s the reason you guys took her hostage. She’s part of my team.”

Robin sighed and shook his head as if Red X was missing something completely obvious. “You heard what Aqualad said, right? There’s no honor amongst thieves. In fact, criminals are more likely to turn on one another at the first sign of trouble. But look at you. _And_ your friends. You’re all here when you could’ve easily escaped. All because you want to rescue your friend.” 

“What _are you saying_?” Red X snarled, exasperated. “We’re still criminals. We did a crime!” 

Robin shrugged. “You didn’t let me get hurt either. I feel like you’ll do the right thing… even if I don’t know exactly what it is. Consider this… repayment.” He smiled. 

And Red X found that smile extremely irritating. He felt like Robin was being sincere, although he couldn’t begin to comprehend him. Still cautious, he stepped forward and knelt down beside Ten, checking her condition. She seemed to be fine, just unconscious. With a grunt of effort he lifted her up and over his shoulder. 

He felt a jab of pain under her weight. Old wounds twinged painfully, reminding him that he was supposed to be dead or in a wheelchair, not out doing… this. Red X ignored it, gritting his teeth as he backed up. 

Robin didn’t move, he stood there, watching Red X leave. 

And when Red X finally turned the corner, he started to run as well as he could with Ten. “I’ve got her!” He said into the com. “Get out of there!” 

“Roger!” They all said in unison.


	5. Chapter 5

“And that’s how you got away?” Luther asked, his hands steepled in front of him. Classic villain, Red X thought. “You brought the Young Justice to their knees, and then simply left them there?” He smirked, every word tinged with skepticism. 

Red X was obviously lying. It’s not like he had to tell Luther anything even remotely close to the truth. About how Ten was nearly captured or how Robin actually saved him and her from dealing with the other heroes. All Luther needed to know was his plan or his involvement hadn’t been leaked, and he obtained the information he needed. Everything else was moot. “Sure.” Red X said, shrugging. 

“I’m very impressed,” Luther said, but it didn’t sound like he meant it. “Your team of broken toys and goons actually distracted the Young Justice long enough for us to obtain this.” He held up a USB. “I assumed you would want to take a look at what your effort gained. After all, I’m sure it’s not every day you get to play with some heavy hitters. All the information we need is on here, so… thank you.” He stood, holding out his hand to shake Red X’s. 

Red X paused for a moment, considering the gesture. He moved to stand, holding back the gasp of pain that usually accompanied standing, walked over to the desk, and shook Luther’s hand. But not before he tightened his grip on Luther’s hand and pulled him closer. Luther dropped the USB on the desk in his surprise. “My friend’s are _**not**_ broken, and they’re _**not**_ expendable. I don’t know if this is the kind of praise you give everyone you work with. Tell me, do you insult everyone you hire?” He harshly let go and watched as Luther gently massaged his hand. 

“My apologies.” Luther conceded, looking very annoyed. “I hope my little comment hasn’t prevented us from working together in the future.” 

Red X stayed silent behind the mask. He wasn’t likely to pick up for Luther in the future, but for now, he just wanted his money and to go. Any promises he made during this meet-up would be empty. “Call on the Red Hellions again… if you’re willing to pay.” He raised an eyebrow, and then his eyes narrowed slightly. “Speaking of which…” 

“Ah, the payment.” Luther pulled the briefcase up onto the desk and slid it to Red X. “You’ll find it’s all accounted for.”

Red X opened it cautiously, mentally counting all the money. He closed it and nodded.

“It’s been a pleasure doing business with you.” Luther said in a canned way. His voice had an edge to it. Apparently Red X manhandling him put sour note on his thanks. 

Red X chuckled and turned around, confidently walking out of the office.

It didn’t take long for him to leave the building, but it did take some time for him to get home. It was times like this he’d wished he’d taken up Eddie’s offer to come with him. He didn’t want to get anyone involved in the dirty business. They only needed to know the result. He took off his costume in an alleyway some blocks away from Luther’s giant building and donned his civilian clothes before clamouring onto multiple buses that took him back to Gotham. 

He stopped off at Crime Alley -- home sweet home -- and made his way down the nearest alley. 

“Lex Luther, huh?” 

Jason spun around and saw a boy a little older than him standing with his arms crossed. His voice sounded familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it. “Who? Oh, you mean that big billionaire in Metropolis?” He shrugged. “What a slime ball. Drowning in all that money while us kids have to scrounge for food. He’s almost as bad as Bruce Wayne. But… at least Wayne does something… sometimes.” 

The boy chuckled, a knowing laugh Jason couldn’t quite place. He walked toward Jason, striding up next to him before leaning in. “What’d you give Lex Luther that he’d give you all that money?”

Jason scoffed. Now he recognised the voice. Only one person could sound so sure of himself, and be completely irritating simultaneously. “Nothing.” He said truthfully, pulling a USB out of his pocket and dropping it to the ground. He crushed it under the heel of his boot before turning to the boy. 

He’d gone. 

And Jason scoffed, rolling his eyes before he continued through the alley and home to his parents, where his team hung out in the basement waiting for his triumphant return, and a briefcase load of cash.


End file.
